The summer months can bring drought conditions in many areas across the world, but as any hardcore gamer will tell you, the gaming industry suffers the same condition each year. It's even tougher in years like 2014, where two major consoles just launched and early adopters are clamoring for new software for their pricey investments.

While I can't do anything about the lack of new games that are set to drop this summer, I can certainly help you get through it. Over the next two months, right before summer hits, we are going to see a few high profile games released that we think will dull the summer gaming blues. Some are old favorites, while a couple are brand new IP that look to offer unique gaming experiences. Here's my list of the five games to pick up this summer, in order of release date:

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If you can't wait to get in on the Titanfall action, you might wanna rush over and apply for the Titanfall beta. Available on both Xbox One and PC, the beta will allow you to play near-final code prior to the launch of the game next month. If you are selected, you'll receive an email from RA with instructions on how to access the game by noon on February 17th. Good luck!

Titanfall is one of the most anticipated games coming to the Xbox One this year, and developer Respawn Entertainment has teamed up with Microsoft on a special edition Titanfall Xbox One controller. As you can see in the image above, the Titanfall controller features custom artwork that pays homage to the game (although, to my eyes, it reminds me more of the Wipeout racing game series.)

"In a collaborative effort with the Xbox design team and the Respawn art department our goal was to create a controller that feels as if it is a piece of military spec hardware transported from the universe of Titanfall and into players hands," said Joel Emslie, lead artist at Respawn Entertainment.

To be clear, this is a standard Xbox One controller--it doesn't do anything extra that other controllers don't do--it just has the unique art styling and coloring. You can pre-order the Titanfall controller now, as well as the Titanfall game. Both will be available on March 11th.

EA has announced this morning that SimCity will be coming to the Mac on June 11 by way of its Origin digital download service. While OS X users will have had to wait over two months since the release of SimCity for PC, they will have been spared all of the ridiculous drama that unfolded when the game launched and crushed EA servers, making it unplayable by those who paid for it for almost two weeks. Also of note, the Mac version was written entirely for OS X, so it's a native game.

If you're a child of the 80s or 90s, then you probably remember SimCity. What you may not know, though, is that Electronic Arts has re-imagined and re-envisioned what SimCity could be for our modern world (and modern computing power!) You can get your hands on the revitalized SimCity today in North America if you want the PC version, while the OS X edition will follow along soon. You can get a physical disc copy, or download a digital copy from EA Origin.

Electronic Arts said Monday that its Battlefield 3 game has sold five million units on a worldwide basis within its first week, the fastest-selling game in EA's history.

The company admitted to some server instability, however, but claimed it was minor: the average service uptime remained at 98.9 percent throughout the weekend, with only some "intermittent disruption of online services due to high volume," according to the developer.

Battlefield 3, the latest wartime first-person shooter title from DICE and Electronic Arts, arrived in stores on October 25th, launching the opening salvo in this fall's FPS conflict. Available for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, Battlefield 3 arrives days before Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which is slated for release on November 8th.

French gaming site Julsa.fr posted an interview with Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans) discussing his love of video games (which he refers to as "films"), particularly Dead Space 2. The famed French director went behind the lens to document a four-part video series within the offices of Dead Space 2 creators, Visceral Games, for an in-depth look at the upcoming Dead Space 2.

Leterrier tells Julsa that he is a "fan of the film Dead Space", going on to revel in his firm belief that "[video games] can really do things that are totally creative, totally artistic, things that provoke an emotion within the viewer/player and create something that's abosolutely visceral."

Check out Leterrier's first three parts after the jump, and look out for part four later this week.

You may remember getting invites to one of three secret societies -- the Illuminati, the Dragon or the Templar. Perhaps you took the quiz "Which secret societies do you belong to?" on Dark Days are Coming. This ingenious way to get people interested was set in motion by Funcom to promote their game The Secret World a few years back. Seriously, who doesn't love secret societies and exclusive clubs?

Recently announced, Funcom and EA Partners will co-publish this long awaited MMO.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Funcom, one of the world-leaders in the development of massively multiplayer online games,” says David DeMartini, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EA Partners. “We are very excited to be able to take part in the growing online gaming category with such a highly anticipated title as ‘The Secret World’.”

The Secret World is a MMO for PC where players are given total freedom to create their characters, without the restriction of classes or levels. In the game, you will join one of three world-famous secret societies and journey the world to locations such as Egypt, New England, London, New York, and Seoul.

I may not be a blood-thristy twisted Alice, but I do enjoy beautiful things. In commemoration of the original Alice, Epic Weapons, in collaboration with Electronic Arts, have created a replica of the Vorpal Blade from American McGee’s Alice. It is adorned with etched molds which replicate this weapon in all its beautiful detail. Since this is a high quality replica made from Japanese stainless steel and standing at 18 5/8 inches in length, Epic Weapons is offering only 1,000 of these commemorative Alice knifes. They are now available on the Epic Weapons website for $89.95, so get them while they are still available! Stand is not included, but available for purchase for $19.95. And while you are at it, I think you should send me one too.

If you find yourself on the main menu of an EA SPORTS title only to enjoy the great compilation of its soundtrack, I can assure you, you are not alone. Thankfully for us, EA has released the second volume of the EA SPORTS Soundtrack. This soundtrack is jammed packed with all our favorite Hip-Hop tracks from Xzibit to Kidz In The Hall. Need more? Find the full track listing after the jump.